The problem of not having anything to talk about with idols

1: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:44:38.02 0While with H!P it’s still bearable because the staff will move you along after a fixed time, it’s especially the lesser known idols who are the problem. I really can’t hold a conversation with them.

6: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:48:03.69 0
Just say “today’s show was good” or something.

10: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:50:33.99 0And remember that it’s easier for them, too, if it’s you who does the talking.

12: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:51:53.35 0
It’s not like I have anything I really want to say to them anyways.

14: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:55:32.09 0I went to a Mobekimasu event for Yuukarin’s sake but since Okai-chan was there, I also shook hands with her for the first time. Then later when I went to a °C-ute event for Maimi’s sake, Okai-chan recognized me and mistakenly thought that she was my oshi. I stopped going to their events ever since then.

17: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:56:36.00 0
I’ve been to nearly 100 handshake events by this point and I still have absolutely nothing to talk to them about. I don’t listen to their radio shows either so I can’t even mention any current events. So, I just go for my usual one-liner of “I’m cheering you on.” If I have some extra time, maybe I’ll say something about that day’s event, but that’s all.

19: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:57:19.76 0
You guys need to go to a kyabakura or something for practice.

22: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 17:59:27.10 0
First and foremost, I just compliment them on something. If they have a blog, I’ll say something about that.

23: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:00:18.90 0I have nothing to talk about either. If it’s an individual handshake, I just tell them “I really like you” and stare at her until a staff member pats my shoulder to tell me my time’s up. It’s just pure agony.

26: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:01:43.09 0
If it’s a handshake session following some event, that’s fine. But individual handshake events… I’ve given up on those.

29: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:03:06.81 0
But if you don’t go to those, they won’t give you the acknowledgement of being a true fan.

30: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:03:31.56 0
I don’t need it.

27: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:02:12.85 0
When they’re standing up on the stage, that’s just the right feeling of distance.

33: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:05:39.55 O
It becomes difficult if it’s just a handshake event, because then you can’t even say “I had fun today.” Even now I haven’t partaken in any handshake events except the ones after concerts.

41: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:11:43.85 0I hate it when the staff members touch me, so I just move along by myself before they do.

42: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:12:39.13 0
I usually only nod at them at handshake events so when the person in front of me doesn’t move along quickly enough, it gets really awkward with me and the member…

43: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:13:29.20 0
If the guy in front of me is slow in moving along, it leads to me just standing in wait, hands locked with the previous member. It’s nerve-wracking. One time when that happened, I actually broke out in a cold sweat while our hands were still locked.

46: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:20:46.36 0
One time this girl in front of me just wouldn’t move along so me and Katsuta were just staring at her.

47: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:22:11.23 0>>46
Me, too. There was this guy and it didn’t matter if you pushed him or pulled him, he just wouldn’t move. Me and Miyabi just stared at him, hands locked. (laughs)

54: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:43:43.64 0
If it’s not one of those high speed ones, it’s too scary for me.

57: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:47:40.28 O
Maa-chan’s handshake event was the only one I escaped from before the staff could touch me. Sorry, Maa-chan.

58: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 18:48:45.83 0The other day I went to my first individual handshake event. I really admire the people who are able to speak at those. But I guess that’s just normal. Me, I couldn’t even make eye contact.

86: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 19:16:24.44 0
If it’s truly your oshimen, it’ll be hard to talk to them. When I shake hands with Kumai-chan, the words won’t come out and I can’t even look her in the eyes (even though we’re the same height).

90: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 19:19:46.32 0When I just honestly fessed up to Kumai-chan that I was so nervous I couldn’t even properly speak to her, she gave me the best smile ever and comforted me by saying “please don’t feel nervous for my sake.“

92: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 19:27:58.08 0The other day I finally apologized to my oshi for never being able to speak to her properly. No matter how many times I shake hands with her, I can’t help but feel so nervous I can’t even look at them.

108: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:13:43.44 0>>92
You’re only making them feel uncomfortable if you apologize to them for that. Don’t do that to your oshi.

115: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:23:23.63 0>>108Yeah, I do feel sorry about that. But she was kind to me and it made me happy.

116: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:26:53.01 O>>115
I can get that. Your oshi being kind to you in that situation will make you love them even more, leading to you having an even harder time speaking to them.

119: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:32:53.98 0>>115
Who was it and what did they say to you?

133: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:52:03.11 0>>119I don’t want to say the name of my oshi, but it’s one of the three fools of °C-ute.(Note: Okai, Nakajima, Hagiwara.)At first she just said “get used to me already!” and laughed. But then her expression got more affectionate and she said “I’ll be waiting, so calm down and come meet me whenever you’d like, okay?“

144: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:57:57.34 0>>133
That’s somehow nice.

197: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:26:26.40 0>>133
I’d fall in love with her if I was told that.

107: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:09:30.25 0
Just praise their hair.

129: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:45:24.05 0
It’s hard to go next when the member and the person before me were really into their conversation. It makes me feel like I’m doing something inexcusable…

141: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:56:56.35 0>>129
This. (laughs)

121: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:36:28.14 0I get so angry at the guys who ask members to remember their names.

130: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:46:08.84 0
Especially in Musume who even have junior high students. You’re asking a child to remember your name, you idiot.

134: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:52:19.24 0I don’t want them to spend any of their brain power in trying to remember my face or name.

145: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 20:58:07.62 0
I’m so bad at speaking that I’m confident they wouldn’t get what I’m saying, so I always just go for the usual “good job.“

153: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:02:55.23 0It always gives me a peace of mind when Okai-chan’s the last in in line. Getting sent off by that angelic smile of hers always leaves me in a happy mood.

175: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:14:58.13 0
Kanyon was cold towards me because it was a guy like me.

173: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:12:32.21 0
When you’re a gentleman like me, you never say anything to the members that would make them have to be considerate towards you. I’ll only say things that they can just respond to with a “thank you.” “You’ve gotten really adult-like” or “your singing has really improved” or “you’ve become so slim and beautiful“, etc.

174: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:13:26.97 0Someone like me who moves on quickly like it was a high speed event even though it’s a slower paced one… I’m the textbook definition of a coward.

178: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:17:19.04 0
I wonder if many people really ask “how old do I look to you?“

179: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:17:31.20 0
Probably not that many.

180: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:19:00.22 0The guys asking “do you remember me?” might be the most bothersome of them all.

182: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:20:47.17 0>>180I’ve said it once. Chinami remembered me even though it was our first time shaking hands.

181: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:19:32.53 0
Even if I decide what I’m going to ask them beforehand, I always forget everything once it’s my turn. Then afterwards I’ll feel down and think about how I should’ve said this and that…

188: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:23:26.59 0
Forget about not having anything to talk about — when you get to my level, you can’t even say their names properly.

190: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:24:19.69 0
What do you call them then?

198: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:26:26.29 0
For example, even though normally everyone says “Reina“, I alone will call her “Tanaka-san” or something.

193: 名無し募集中。。。 2013/06/24(月) 21:25:06.34 0
For some reason I said “thank you” to Kudo because I could think of nothing else, and she just stared at me with her mouth agape.

18 comments on “The problem of not having anything to talk about with idols”

It can be awkward when faced with your Idols! I had a tough time talking with Momochi both times Berryz came to the USA. The first time I told her I thought she was a genius Idol (in Japanese) and she just kinda nodded without making eye contact and that was that. I don’t remember what I said the second time, but her reaction was similar. Risako was also difficult- we met eyes at the concert, and after thanking her for that, there was a really awkward moment where I just kept saying thank you until it was time to go. Maasa was also hard to talk to, but in a kind of fun way, as if she were caught off guard by everything.

Wow… It’s so weird reading this, ‘cos for us foreign fans handshake events are so rare and precious. I imagine I would end up either gushing out all my feelings or just be totally star-struck. I myself have only shook hands with one Japanese band and even then all I could blurt out was an “Arigatou” to each one before I was patted aside. From what I gather, there are different types of handshake events with different amounts of time given? Sheesh, what I would give to be in their shoes.

I’ve never been to an event, but I remember watching a report on either Buono! or Momusu in Paris, with three or four people being let in for handshakes at a time. Being in a small, quiet room like that would be even more nerve-wracking.

Personally, I’d be more concerned about making sense since I’m not 100% confident on Japanese sentence structure. lol I would probably babble like an idiot.

Lol, it’s true about it being hardest to talk to your oshi. I’ve met Reina twice and the first time I couldn’t say anything because I was trying not to cry. The second time, even though I had a good amount of time to talk, all I could do was high-five her and say “Reina!!” and then run away ORZ

I totally get what these guys were saying. Last year I went to my first handshake event ever, and I was really looking forard to it, so I prepared beforehand everything I would say, especially to my oshi. I even took some Japanese lessons, just to make sure they would understand my pronunciation. So the moment came, and I was actually able to say some words to the members, but when I got to my oshi, I panicked. I said her name FOR SOME REASON and she just stood there, looking at me, looking DEEPLY at me, and I forgot everything I had prepared, so I just… thanked her. I literally said ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU, like an idiot. She held my hands and said lots of stuff I couldn’t understand, and I kept smiling and nodding, looking stupid. It was awful. At least I got to see her in person.